WhatsApp stopped working for several hours just days after Facebook purchased
it in a $19 billion acquisition

WhatsApp suffered a server malfunction which caused the service to stop working for several hours over the weekend, just days after Facebook purchased it for $19 billion.

The instant messaging service tweeted " Sorry we currently experiencing server issues. we hope to be back up and recovered shortly" [sic] at 8.16pm GMT on Saturday evening after users reacted angrily on Twitter.

<noframe>Twitter: WhatsApp Status - sorry we currently experiencing server issues. we hope to be back up and recovered shortly.</noframe>

The service started working again around 10.30pm GMT, when the app tweeted: "WhatsApp service has been restored. We are so sorry for the downtime..."

It is believed a surge of new users over the days since the deal was announced may have caused the server to fail temporarily.

Millions of users downloaded rival messaging app Telegram in the meantime. The company tweeted that it was receiving 100 registrations every second as users scrambled to find an instant messaging alternative.

Due to the extraordinary surge in users, Telegram then experienced server problems itself. The service is currently gaining around five million users per day.

<noframe>Twitter: Telegram Messenger - 4.95 million people signed up for Telegram today. Telegram is <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%231" target="_blank">#1</a> most downloaded iPhone app in 48 countries. To the bad news...</noframe>

<noframe>Twitter: Telegram Messenger - Due to the insane growth rate our cluster in Europe experienced a 2-hour downtime today. We are adding servers, but it takes time.</noframe>